Navajo Prep Forfeits McCurdy Game
Unable to field a full roster, the Eagles (0-5) opted to cancel their Sept. 24 game that was to be played against McCurdy (2-4) at Española Valley High School, technically giving the Bobcats’ their second win in as many weeks but robbing them of a chance to face a competitive team on the field.
McCurdy coach Robert Nevarez said Navajo Prep only had 13 available players. The Eagles do plan to play in two weeks against Española Valley.
McCurdy has been playing its home games this year at Española Valley’s home stadium due to issues with their home field’s bleachers, but Nevarez said they hope to fix that by the end of the year. The Navajo Prep game was also supposed to be McCurdy’s homecoming game.
Pojoaque Takes Tournament Title
The Pojoaque Valley High School volleyball team (10-2) won their second early-season tournament, taking the title at the Peyton Chavez Tournament in Portales. The Elkettes did not drop a set in pool or bracket play throughout the tournament. They beat the host Rams (4-6) in the tournament final 25-21, 25-22, 25-17, with Sonya Quintana leading the way with 15 digs, 13 kills and five blocks.
Earlier in the week, the Elkettes had a disappointing loss against Hope Christian (9-6), losing at home 25-23, 21-25, 25-19, 26-24. The Huskies are the defending state champions, but have looked vulnerable early this season, and Pojoaque would love to have that match back.
Pojoaque enters district play this week, looking for their first district championship since 2013, and the first in their current 4A grouping.
Portales 54, Pojoaque 0
The Elks’ (0-4) struggles continued, as the Rams (6-0) continued to roll with a dominant victory. Portales scored 21 in the first quarter, 20 in the second, and 13 in the third to end the game early.
Pojoaque takes on Robertson (3-2) on the road on Friday in what should finally be a winnable game.
Escalante 42, Mescalero Apache 0
The Lobos (3-3) rolled to another victory as they continue to (easily) beat the teams they should with a dominant win over the Chiefs (1-4).
Escalante currently ranks eighth in both the MaxPreps rankings and the coaches’ poll in 2A.
The Lobos take on No. 7 ranked Tularosa (1-4) on Friday on the road, taking another long road trip for what should be a competitive game. The Wildcats come off a four-game losing streak, most recently losing to Ruidoso (5-1) 43-6.
McCurdy Takes First Place in Pecos Meet
The McCurdy Bobcats girls’ cross country team won first place at the Ron Valdez Memorial Cross Country Invitational on Sept. 24. Full results from the girls’ race were not available as of Wednesday.
On the boys side, Ezequiel Nevarez from Mesa Vista finished in fifth at 19:04. The Trojans finished third in the race, with Kenneth Gallegos and Jordan Cervantes finished 16th and 17th. McCurdy finished sixth, led by Ethan Bolton in 20th place.
Capital City Meet
Española Valley High School freshman Neveah Cachora continued her strong season, finishing fourth at the Capital City invitational in Santa Fe at 21:20, while the Sundevils finished sixth. Daniel Sanchez finished 18th for the boys at 18:54, and Española finished sixth. Pojoaque finished third on the girls side, led by Elizabeth Towles in 16th, and eighth for the boys with Matteo Nagle taking 28th place.